James
Hogan, Etihad Airways President and Chief Executive Officer, said: “The launch
of direct services to Sana’a is consistent with our strategy of adding depth
and scale to our network and targeting areas of growth in emerging markets.”

“The
ancestral, cultural and business ties between the two countries are
significant, and we believe the new service will further facilitate Yemen’s
economic development in the months and years ahead.”

More than
90,000 Yemini nationals live in the UAE, and the country is Yemen’s largest
regional trading partner with annual trade valued at over US$2 billion, of
which US$1.6 billion is made up of UAE exports*. Overall, the UAE
accounts for almost 20 per cent of Yemen’s total imports†.

Flights
can be booked from today and the new Sana’a schedule is designed to provide
seamless connections over Etihad Airways’ Abu Dhabi hub to key European, North
American, GCC, and Middle East destinations.